Chinese University of Hong Kong medics are recruiting 2,000 adults who have recently contracted Covid-19 to participate in a clinical trial of a new oral drug developed by mainland pharmaceutical companies.
The university's clinical trial center and medical center are collaborating to spearhead the project.
The study marks the first clinical trial for the drug JT001 (VV116) and aims to develop early treatment methods for patients with mild to moderate symptoms.
In a statement issued yesterday, the university said the study aims to understand the drug's effectiveness in preventing Covid symptoms from worsening.
It is currently looking for 2,000 adults who have tested positive in the five days before joining the study.
The study comes at a crucial time as Hong Kong had just been battered by the fifth wave, the university said, adding over 9,000 patients have passed away since December 30.
Aside from the more obvious impacts on public health, the pandemic also significantly disrupted the SAR's economy and schools, it added.
There are currently two Covid oral drugs available in Hong Kong - Paxlovid by Pfizer and Molnupiravir by MSD. They are both used to treat patients with mild or moderate symptoms.
"However, as SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge, new treatment options are desperately needed," the university said.
The study's participants will be randomly assigned either the oral drug or a placebo for five days. After this period, researchers will continue to monitor participants for up to 29 days.
The study will take place at the university's medical center in Sha Tin.
"New variants of the virus will continue to emerge and spread. Therefore, we need more treatment options that can prevent progression to severe illnesses and complications, especially among vulnerable groups such as the elderly and those with chronic diseases," said Andrea Luk On-yan, associate professor in CUHK's department of medicine and therapeutics.
After the study concludes, the results will likely be offered to the Hospital Authority for reference and potentially for practical application.
The drug was developed by Suzhou Vigonvita Biomedical and two institutes under the Chinese Academy of Sciences - the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The drug's developers have said it is effective against multiple Covid variants, including Delta and Omicron.
Indeed, in experiments conducted on animals, the drug was able to reduce viral load and lung inflammation.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong yesterday recorded 413 new cases, including 206 confirmed via polymerase chain reaction tests and 207 via rapid tests.
With the declining number of cases, health officials commented the pandemic is "clearly under control," especially when compared with the peak of the fifth wave in early March.
Among the new cases, 23 were imported. A 40-year-old man - who arrived in Hong Kong from South Africa on Saturday - carries the new Omicron sublineage BA.5.
The city has detected two Omicron BA.5 cases so far, and both were found in visitors from South Africa.
The study marks the first clinical trial for the drug JT001 (VV116) and aims to develop early treatment methods for patients with mild to moderate symptoms.
In a statement issued yesterday, the university said the study aims to understand the drug's effectiveness in preventing Covid symptoms from worsening.
It is currently looking for 2,000 adults who have tested positive in the five days before joining the study.
The study comes at a crucial time as Hong Kong had just been battered by the fifth wave, the university said, adding over 9,000 patients have passed away since December 30.
Aside from the more obvious impacts on public health, the pandemic also significantly disrupted the SAR's economy and schools, it added.
There are currently two Covid oral drugs available in Hong Kong - Paxlovid by Pfizer and Molnupiravir by MSD. They are both used to treat patients with mild or moderate symptoms.
"However, as SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge, new treatment options are desperately needed," the university said.
The study's participants will be randomly assigned either the oral drug or a placebo for five days. After this period, researchers will continue to monitor participants for up to 29 days.
The study will take place at the university's medical center in Sha Tin.
"New variants of the virus will continue to emerge and spread. Therefore, we need more treatment options that can prevent progression to severe illnesses and complications, especially among vulnerable groups such as the elderly and those with chronic diseases," said Andrea Luk On-yan, associate professor in CUHK's department of medicine and therapeutics.
After the study concludes, the results will likely be offered to the Hospital Authority for reference and potentially for practical application.
The drug was developed by Suzhou Vigonvita Biomedical and two institutes under the Chinese Academy of Sciences - the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The drug's developers have said it is effective against multiple Covid variants, including Delta and Omicron.
Indeed, in experiments conducted on animals, the drug was able to reduce viral load and lung inflammation.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong yesterday recorded 413 new cases, including 206 confirmed via polymerase chain reaction tests and 207 via rapid tests.
With the declining number of cases, health officials commented the pandemic is "clearly under control," especially when compared with the peak of the fifth wave in early March.
Among the new cases, 23 were imported. A 40-year-old man - who arrived in Hong Kong from South Africa on Saturday - carries the new Omicron sublineage BA.5.
The city has detected two Omicron BA.5 cases so far, and both were found in visitors from South Africa.